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Rookie showdown. Two of the leading candidates for NFL Rookie of the Year honors will be on display, Colts running back Joseph Addai and New England counterpart Laurence Maroney. Prior to Monday night's Patriots-Minnesota game, Addai led all rookies in total yards from scrimmage (591) and rushing (447). Maroney was second in rushing (361).

Addai has more yards and a better average. He's not the better RB, though. Maroney will start to look even better now that teams have seen they need to stop our passing game.

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There go those dolts again thinking that everything gets decided by statistics. MAroney has been clearly more impressive.

perhaps polian will go to the league to complain that addai must be named the rookie of the year if he has better stats! It wouldn't surprise me to hear something as crazy as that because that's how those losers roll.

Don't take anything away from Addai. He's having a very good year. Statistically, his rushing numbers trump Maroney, so he deserves he respect of best rookie runner.

That aside, I wouldn't take Addai over Maroney. Given that Maroney has received mostly garbage touches, in the run game, over the past couple of weeks (see: Miami 4th quarter), I don't think the difference in yards is all that it's cracked up to be. Still, it's something to respect.

Peyton and Co. have been doing a masterful job of setting up the run with the pass. That generally leads to more YPC for a RB compared to setting up the pass with the run.

Regardless, Indy's run D seems to be made out of tissue paper this season. Hopefully, it's something the Patriots can exploit.

I think Maroney certainly has more of a "special" quality about him, but Addai has been a surprise for me. HE looked slow and indecisive in the preseason and I thought he would be a mild disappointment. Instead, he is running hard and is actually showing some real power.

That said, his stats are better because Indy's passing game has opened up the run game. If teams were sitting with 8 man fronts, you can be sure that Addai wouldn't be anywhere near Maroney's stats. This is partly due to Addai, but also because Indy's OL is notoriously bad at short yardgae running.

Don't take anything away from Addai. He's having a very good year. Statistically, his rushing numbers trump Maroney, so he deserves he respect of best rookie runner.

That aside, I wouldn't take Addai over Maroney. Given that Maroney has received mostly garbage touches, in the run game, over the past couple of weeks (see: Miami 4th quarter), I don't think the difference in yards is all that it's cracked up to be. Still, it's something to respect.

Peyton and Co. have been doing a masterful job of setting up the run with the pass. That generally leads to more YPC for a RB compared to setting up the pass with the run.

Regardless, Indy's run D seems to be made out of tissue paper this season. Hopefully, it's something the Patriots can exploit.

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speaking of tissue paper, that's what I think of when I look at your gross avatar.

I think Maroney certainly has more of a "special" quality about him, but Addai has been a surprise for me. HE looked slow and indecisive in the preseason and I thought he would be a mild disappointment. Instead, he is running hard and is actually showing some real power.

That said, his stats are better because Indy's passing game has opened up the run game. If teams were sitting with 8 man fronts, you can be sure that Addai wouldn't be anywhere near Maroney's stats. This is partly due to Addai, but also because Indy's OL is notoriously bad at short yardgae running.

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I was impressed by Addai on Sunday night; he has a good instinct for finding the holes that allow him to make the hard yards and he shows no hesitation in putting his head down and trying to make them. I see him being a solid 1,200 yards a season guy for the Colts.

But like you Maroney seems to have that game winning star quality about him, that intangible that makes every last fan in the stadium hold their breath in anticipation when he gets the ball in his hands. He'll learn how to turn those -2, -1 no gainers into 2,3,4 yarders over time. At present his instinct is to look for the big one pretty much every time out, and you have to love that, because it means he's going to get more of those than a lot of others guys.

Over time I think they'll both prove to be hugely successful feature backs for their teams. I'm glad we have Maroney, but if I were a Colt I'd be pretty happy with Addai.

Addai is a good back and he has proven it throughout the year. When Rhodes carries the ball he is generally gobbled up pretty quick, but Addai hits those same holes hard and fast and is getting yards after contact.

They both are good and I don't see how you can really compare their situations.

The fact that Maroney is splitting carries with COREY F-ing DILLON and Addai is splitting carries with Dominic Rhodes for God's sake - and never facing 8 men in the box - makes this comparison silly. Addai's doing a nice job, he's a nice little back, but Maroney is a beast, everyone knows it, he's a star in the league already, and there's no need to even worry about silly comparisons.